Govt must finalize Yogya bill: House leader

The government should immediately submit its bill amending Yogyakarta’s special political status to legislators, a House deputy speaker says.

“Please hand it over to the [House] soon. We have not received a formal letter from the government,” said House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Pramono Anung.

Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi previously said the government was still finalizing the bill, which he expected would be finished this week.

Gamawan said he had not received instructions from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to discuss the bill with the House.

Pramono said that the government must prioritize finalizing the bill, especially on the method of appointing Yogyakarta's governor.

A national debate on ending the automatic appointment of the region’s governor by the Yogyakarta sultanate ensued after the President said a monarchy was not in line with Indonesia’s democratic values.

Pramono said that demands for a referendum on the issue must end.

“The referendum is a bit too much. It will be dangerous if other regions demand the same thing,” he said, as reported by tempointeraktif.com.